


Rats On The Street

by GoldenEntertainment



Series: Red Dead Redemption Collection [6]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Origin Story, Orphans, Street Kid, Young Arthur Morgan, thieves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 10:53:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19316719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenEntertainment/pseuds/GoldenEntertainment
Summary: Arthur watches his father die. And although he should feel upset, he actually feels happy. He only regrets it when he notices he's all alone in a world where the rich and greedy survive.





	Rats On The Street

Arthur knew he was responsible. He knew it was his fault his father was there in front of him. With a noose around his neck, yelling and swearing at everyone, giving Arthur dirty glares and trying to escape. Arthur was to blame. The reason he had turned his father in was that he knew his father would betray him one day. He just had that gut feeling, and now he was watching the priest read of some passage from the Bible, and the executioner next to him, holding the lever. The priest finished and the executioner was ready. Lyle gave his son one last glare before...  _crack!_

He hung there, cold and lifeless. Arthur felt a small pain in his heart but tried to brush it off. He walked away, putting his father's hat on his head and went into an alleyway where Copper waited for him, curled up in a bed of newspaper and scraps. Arthur sat down next to him and scratched him behind the ears. He was alone, for the first time in his life. He was alone. It didn't take long before a low grumble came from Arthur's stomach, he needed food. He got up, told Copper to wait where he was and peeked around the corner, towards the general store. He checked to see if his coast was clear and began walking towards the door, grabbing the handle and opening the door. The Shopkeeper greeted him as he walked in, Arthur went straight to the food shelf, touching a can of beans. Some other people came into the store and asked the Shopkeeper a few questions, so he was occupied. Arthur quickly grabbed a big can of beans and hid it in his pocket and then went to the jerky and went to the counter. He knew to not have the Shopkeeper become suspicious, he'd have to buy something, so he took the cheapest jerky for COpper and went to the counter and checked out. He walked out of the store with his first shoplift.

He returned to the alley and found Copper where he had left him,

 "Hey boy," Arthur said, "Got us something to eat,"

At the mention of food, Copper sprang to his feet and sniffed Arthur all over, before burying his nose in Arthur's hand, where the jerky was,

 "Hold up a moment!" Arthur laughed, opening the jerky, while Copper bounced up onto him, "Here,"

He dropped a few pieces onto the floor and Copper scooped it up with his big pink tongue, swallowing it whole, then looking back up at Arthur, waging his tail. Arthur sat down on the newspaper and Copper lay his head on Arthur's legs. They sat there and ate their food before a little, dirty boy came up to them,

 "Uhm. H-hello." The boy said sheepishly,

Arthur looked up at him, "Hm? Hey,"

 "M-mind if I have some food?"

Arthur looked at Copper, back up the kid, then down at his beans, he sighed and spooned out a little, giving it to the kid, "Here,"

 "T-thank you,"

The kid sipped the orange content on the spoon, before giving it back to Arthur along with a weak smile, "You got a family?" Arthur asked,

The boy shook his head,

 "You an orphan?"

The boy nodded,

 "I am too, my dad just got hung, Lyle Morgan, over there, by the gallows,"

He pointed at the gallows where they were cutting the pale body out of the noose, the boy looked back, before sitting next to Arthur,

 "My mummy and daddy died a few days ago, Outlaws,"

 "Okay."

 "I have no one now,"

 "Well, you have me,"

The boy looked up at Arthur, giving him another weak smile, "Thank you,"

 "How old are you?"

 "12,"

 "I'm 15," Arthur then stuck out his hand, "Arthur,"

The boy hesitated, but took Arthur's hand, "Kian,"

 "Well Kian, want me to teach you some things?"

 "Sure!"

Arthur taught Kian how to pickpocket and shoplift, really anything they could use at the moment. Over the days, Kian grew stronger and happier, and so did Arthur. It didn't take them long to be known as the infamous street kids of the city. Arthur was spat at for being 'just like his father', and was almost caught by the law, he, obviously escaped, and Kian was known as 'the kid with Arthur,' as no one knew his name, except for Arthur and a few other street kids. Arthur started to notice two men quite often. One was an older man with silver hair, the other was a middle-aged man with raven black hair, the old man would wear simple clothes, while the black haired one would wear fancy clothes and expensive rings and pocket watches. Sometimes there'd be a woman with them, a pretty lady who dressed somewhat fancy, somewhat casual. Arthur got a few good pickpocketings from them, and never got caught. They'd come into town every so often, and Arthur would be ready to spot them and take something for himself. 

Only one day, things weren't so good. Kian was caught by the law and imprisoned. There was nothing Arthur could really do, except pay bail, but if he walked into the police station, he'd be arrested on the spot. He tried to sneak through the window and pick the lock, but he was noticed and chased out. He had nothing he could do to save his friend. Nothing. He walked along the road, head hung, thinking of what he could do when he saw the old man leaned against a wall in the alley where Copper was. Arthur walked past him and when he did, reached into his back pocket, trying to catch a grip on something, when he felt a firm hand go around his wrist,

 "So you're the kid who's been stealing from us," The man said, his voice calm and not angry, "So kid, got anything?"

Arthur panicked, "Uhm! Sorry, Sir, I'm just trying to make a living, please don't turn me in!"

The man laughed at Arthurs reaction and let go of his wrist, Arthur rubbed it a little and looked up at the man, "I ain't gonna turn you in kid," He laughed,

 "What?"

 "I'm going to do the opposite,"

Arthur looked at him with a confused expression, "I don't follow,"

 "How about, you join me in a gang me and a friend are forming, hm?"

Arthur didn't know what to do, he opened his mouth to speak, but instead came out a small laugh, "Sure!"

The man introduced himself as Hosea, he took Arthur to a saloon, where the black haired man and the woman were, sat down on a table. Hosea introduced Arthur and learned the black-haired man was called 'Dutch' and the woman was 'Annabelle'. They were fairly nice, and Dutch gave Arthur a gun. He had never held a gun. Except for when his father taught him to shoot, other than that, he never dared touch the thing that was responsible for many deaths. After the introductions, Dutch got up and went to his horse, everyone following behind him, they quickly went to get Copper and set off for Arthur's new home. Camp.

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's short, but this is just a sort of little origin story possibility, so it's hard to imaging everything and write it down well, so yeah :p


End file.
